Disordered one-dimensional photonic structures composed by more than two materials with the same optical thickness

TL;DR

This paper investigates the transmission properties of one-dimensional photonic structures made with multiple materials of equal optical thickness, revealing band gap splitting and potential applications in optical filtering, lighting, and photovoltaic light trapping.

Contribution

It introduces a comparative analysis of photonic crystals with three to five materials, demonstrating band gap splitting and exploring their applications in multi-feature filters and light trapping.

Findings

Band gap splits into t-1 bands with t materials.

Equal optical thickness yields uniform band gap intensity.

Potential for multi-feature optical filters and photovoltaic applications.

Abstract

The optical properties of photonic structures made with more than two materials are very interesting for optical filtering and lighting applications. Herein, we compared the transmission properties of one-dimensional photonic crystals made with three, four and five materials, showing that, with a photonic crystal made of t different materials, the band gap splits in t-1 bands. The same optical thickness for the different materials layers results in split photonic band gaps with the same intensity. Photonic crystals with more than two materials result in a simple structure that could be used for multi-feature optical filters, or that could provide feedback for multi-emission distributed feedback lasers. Furthermore, we analyzed the transmission properties of ternary and quaternary random photonic structures. These materials could very interesting for light trapping in photovoltaic devices.